NYC Film Critic

Four guys, the ’80s and a hot tub time machine.  My review of the agreeably dumb comedy over at Film Journal.

Along with the venerable New York Film Festival, one of the highlights of Lincoln Center’s renowned Film Society’s annual schedule is New Directors/New Films, a packed line-up of new films from debuting directors or filmmakers with only one or two other credits to their names.

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Reviews of the new documentaries Kimjongilia and Ghost Town

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Jerry Bruckheimer made pirates cool again, but can he do the same thing for ancient Persian princes?  Especially when that ancient Persian prince is played by…um, Jake Gyllenhaal?  We’ll have to wait until May 28 to find out whether Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is the next Pirates of the Carribbean, but in the meantime you can read more about the movie courtesy of my interviews with Bruckheimer and director Mike Newell over at Film Journal.

“Princes & Sorcerers”: A Q&A with Jerry Bruckheimer
“Arabian Nights”: A Q&A with Mike Newell

The Bounty Hunter
Directed by Andy Tennant
Starring Jennifer Aniston, Gerard Butler, Jason Sudeikis and Christine Baranski
*

If you’ve seen the trailers for The Bounty Hunter then you’ve already seen the movie because those two-minute spots encapsulate everything that happens during the film’s 110-minute runtime.

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The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Directed by Niels Arden Oplev
Starring Michael Nyqvist, Noomi Rapace, Lena Endre and Sven-Bertil Taube
**1/2

If 2009 was the year of the animated film–with such stellar romps as Up, Coraline and Fantastic Mr. Fox delighting critics and audiences–2010 is shaping up to be the year of the thriller.

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I was recently introduced to the children’s book Diary of a Wimpy Kid (think Adrian Mole in the American suburbs) and was pleasantly surprised by how witty and charming it is.  The movie, on the other hand, is neither of those things.  Read my review at Film Journal.

The Runaways
Directed by Floria Sigismondi
Starring Kristen Stewart, Dakota Fanning and Michael Shannon
***

Most rock-star biopics tend to focus on the larger-than-life personalities of their subjects rather than the places and times from which they emerge.  That’s not to say that movies like Ray and Walk the Line don’t pay attention to period details; all the era-appropriate hairstyles, fashions, cars and even magazine covers are always carefully placed in the frame and every now and then a character will either witness or make a comment about some major historical event to convince the audience that, yes, this really is 1963 or 1972.

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I speak with producer Bonnie Arnold and some of the other creative forces behind 2010’s first big animated adventure, How to Train Your Dragon, out in theaters next week.  Read the full story here.

Green Zone
Directed by Paul Greengrass
Starring Matt Damon, Greg Kinnear, Brendan Gleeson and Amy Ryan
***

Arriving in theaters the week after The Hurt Locker dominated the Oscars, picking up six trophies including Best Director and Best Picture, Paul Greengrass’ Iraq War-themed action drama Green Zone is in something of a tight spot.

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